The CATO Institute Hosts a Defensive Gun Use Map

Gun control proponents want legislation that will restrict access to firearms. The rationale for such legislation is to reduce accidental shootings and the criminal use of guns against people. But if harm reduction is the goal, policymakers should pause to consider how many crimes--murders, rapes, assaults, robberies--are thwarted by ordinary persons who were fortunate enough to have access to a gun. Gun control proponents cannot deny that people use guns successfully against criminals, but they tend to play down how often such events take place. The purpose of this map is to draw more attention to this aspect of the firearms policy debate.

Pretty useful link to have in your bookmarks.

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Ragnar Danneskjold

February 18, 2013, 06:53 PM

Awesome. That might be a big help with people on the fence, particularly if they're not that politically active. On the other hand, true Antis and hardcore leftists will totally dismiss it as an outright fabrication simply by it being from CATO

Fryerpower

February 18, 2013, 07:01 PM

Nice.

They need to fix the dot for Pennsylvania, AL. It is in Pennsylvania instead of in Alabama...

Jim

Cesiumsponge

February 18, 2013, 07:13 PM

Awesome. That might be a big help with people on the fence, particularly if they're not that politically active. On the other hand, true Antis and hardcore leftists will totally dismiss it as an outright fabrication simply by it being from CATO

The irony is the same hardcore leftists use CATO research on police militarization, law enforcement abuses, and wrong-door drug raids (such as http://www.policemisconduct.net/, now handed off to CATO's care) to fight their social cause against bad cops.

jamesbeat

February 18, 2013, 07:24 PM

Behind every single one of those incidents is a victim who would have been beaten, robbed, raped or murdered if the antis had their way.

I hope they are prepared to have those victims on their conscience.

ApacheCoTodd

February 18, 2013, 07:30 PM

I didn't see any reference for the time frame covered by the map. Is there one that I missed?

MachIVshooter

February 18, 2013, 09:05 PM

While it is a useful option for argument, don't forget that this only highlights the ones that were investigated.

Reported and unreported defensive uses of firearms tend to go unnoticed if no shots were fired. Such incidences are hundreds of thousands per year.

Between my sister and I, we've had 3 defensive uses, never a shot fired. These will not show up on the map, but are 100% legitimate (hers especially).

r1derbike

February 19, 2013, 01:43 AM

This ^

It only shows an unbelievably small number of actual events. So small as to be of little use to pro-gun advocates. Other than a token of good intent.

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